NORWICH – The sentencing of convicted murderer Peter M. Wlasiuk has been set aside today after the judge approved a defense request to hold a hearing to see if jury misconduct occurred during deliberations.

Defense Attorney Randel Scharf of Cooperstown asked that Broome County Court Judge Martin E. Smith set aside the guilty verdict and hold a hearing on possible jury misconduct; that request has been approved, according to District Attorney Joseph McBride.

Today, the court will hear testimony from the jurors to decide if the allegations of misconduct are true; if that’s the case, the judge may set the guilty verdict aside and schedule a new trial.

McBride said all the jurors had been called to a hearing that will begin at 11 a.m., originally the time scheduled for Wlasiuk’s sentencing.

McBride said the proceeding could take all day and he did not know if the sentencing would happen following the investigation, assuming its outcome finds no misconduct.